


sweet as pie

by Archadian_Skies



Category: Pushing Daisies, The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pushing Daisies Fusion, Friends to Lovers, Gunshot Wounds, M/M, Minor Violence, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 04:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11547675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archadian_Skies/pseuds/Archadian_Skies
Summary: Joseph Oda, humble pie-maker, possesses a rare gift -- the ability to restore life to the dead -- with a touch. He puts his power to good use, helping investigator Sebastian Castellanos solve murders by reviving the victim and asking the deceased to name the killer. A slow baked romance that blossoms into something sweet.





	sweet as pie

Everyone had a favourite comfort food; some kind of edible magic that seemed to quell any fears and quash any anxiety and somehow make everything alright, even just for a little while.

For Detective Sebastian Castellanos that happened to be pear pie with a Gruyère crust, and happened to be made in only one place in town: The Pie Hole.

There was nothing quite like hunkering down in one of the booths and tucking into a freshly baked pie after a long day at work. Every slice was baked to perfection, every pear perfectly sweetened and every forkful an utter delight.

“Still working the same case, Seb?” He looked up at the familiar voice, and baker extraordinaire Joseph Oda gave him a familiar smile.

“Yeah, same old.” Sebastian grumbled, wiping his mouth of crumbs as Joseph took a seat opposite him. It had been a chance meeting, one stormy night as he drove home from the office. The lights were still on and there were a handful of patrons inside, so Sebastian decided a little slice of pie couldn’t hurt. He had become a faithful regular that very night, loyal to both the pie and pie maker.

“You’re bound to catch him soon. You always do.” Joseph encouraged, and Sebastian swallowed something that might have been a mixture of pie and feelings rather thickly. 

“Thanks. How’s things here?”

“Pretty much the same. Ms Kidman drops by sometimes, with her girlfriend Claire. Connelly and his wife bring their kids every Sunday.” Joseph tapped a gloved finger to his chin thoughtfully, eyes cast upward as he combed his memory. “I’ve had a new guy drop by nearly every day rather erratically. Likes the key lime pie.”

“Oh yeah? What’s he like.” He took a swig of coffee to try and force that thick lump down his throat, chastising himself that they were both grown men and no his heart shouldn’t be tripping over itself just because Joseph smiled at him a lot. Joseph smiled a lot in general, it was nothing special, nothing exclusive for him.

_Right?_

“Doesn’t say much. Looks really stressed all the time. Left-handed with an injured right hand.”

Sebastian almost dropped his fork, fumbling with the utensil. ”The right hand- does it tremble? And have a scar?”

“Yeah, right over his palm. Doesn’t look too old, either.” The other blinked in surprise. “Why?”

“That’s our prime suspect. He vanished three days ago and-”

“And he’s right over there." 

"Shit.  _SHIT._ ” Sebastian fumbled for his handcuffs, stumbling out of the booth and plucking out his badge. “Hey! KCPD, you’re-”

The man bolted like a startled colt, barreling into one of the patrons before pushing into the kitchens.

“No! He can’t!” Joseph cried, right beside Sebastian as he rushed out to follow him. 

“Peter Rylatt you’re under arrest! Stop right there!” He bellowed as the man began to upend the mobile prep benches in an attempt to block their path. “I said stop!”

“Please stop destroying my kitchen!” Joseph yelled, overtaking Sebastian and trying to snag the man’s sleeve. The suspect kicked open the delivery doors, stumbling into the small alley at the back of the eatery. His toe caught on a crack in the cement, and the two of them watched in horror as his head connected with a sickening crack with the corner of a dumpster. The body smacked against the steel limply before falling forward with a dull thud.

“Oh n-” Joseph pitched forward and despite Sebastian catching the back of his apron, the younger man tripped and fell atop the suspect’s stilled body. 

And it sat up.

“No, don’t arrest me!” Peter cried, trying to crawl backwards as Sebastian gaped at him in shock. Beside him, Joseph made a frustrated noise, fumbling to pluck off his gloves before he dived forward and clamped a hand around Peter’s wrist.

The man jolted as if shocked before collapsing limply once more.

“Oh no, oh  _no_.” Joseph bit his lip, snatching his gloves up and quickly tugging them over his hands once more. “Oh you weren’t supposed to see that, oh no no no.”

Sebastian opened and closed his eyes slowly, as if willing everything to melt back into reality.

"Joseph.”

“I can explain.” The man sighed miserably.

“Alright.” Sebastian offered his hand and helped him back on his feet. “More pie and coffee. You talk. I’ll listen.”

* * *

 

“Ready?” He asked Sebastian, and the man nodded as he tapped his phone and brought up the timer.

“Ready.”

“Thirty seconds, remember?”

“Yes.”

Joseph sucked in a deep breath. He hated morgues and hated his ability but if it helped solve crimes, if it helped bring closure then…well. He could endure it. Besides, it let him work closely with Detective Castellanos and that wasn’t altogether a bad thing.

He tapped the woman’s corpse on the forehead and she jerked alive, eyes wide.

“Hi I’m Joseph and this is Detective Castellanos, we have thirty seconds please answer our questions as quickly and succinctly as possible thank you.”

* * *

 

Cupping his coffee, Sebastian darted a glance over the mug at Joseph as the man tapped away on his laptop across the table from him. The diner was closed, no one but the two of them left as Sebastian finished his pie after a long day at work and Joseph balanced his accounts online.

Another corpse, another case closed. They made a pretty great team, and that thought always warmed him up even better than pear pie. 

Hesitantly Sebastian shifted one of his legs beneath the table so their knees touched. After a moment, Joseph adjusted his position so their legs crossed each other’s, knees touching and ankles brushing. 

When Sebastian next peeked over his coffee mug, Joseph offered a smile he was fairly sure he didn’t give anyone else.

* * *

 

“I brought you flours.” Sebastian stood on his doorstep, a box of different flours in his arms. 

“Flours, not flowers.” Joseph said slowly, unable to help the smile breaking out on his face. “You brought me flours.”

“Yes.” The detective grinned offering them to him. “I thought about giving you a box of Gruyère but that might have been a bit too cheesy.”

“Oh god.” Joseph groaned at the pun, burying his face in his hands out of secondhand embarrassment. “Seb you idiot.”

“Your idiot.” Sebastian corrected. “I’m  _your_  idiot.”

* * *

 

They had met one stormy evening and now it seemed they would part on another stormy evening.

"Please Seb, don’t do this me.” Joseph cradled the man’s body as the rain ran red along the pavement. A case gone south, so horribly south Sebastian joked it’d gone six feet under.

“M’sorry Jo.” Sebastian struggled to breathe, the multiple gunshot wounds riddling his body oozing blood all over Joseph’s clothes. “God I could go for some pie right now.”

Despite their situation, Joseph laughed through his tears. Sebastian ran his thumb beneath Joseph’s eyes, trying to smudge away his tears.

“Hey now. No need for all this." 

"Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me. You’re supposed to be my idiot, remember?” Joseph kissed him and his mouth tasted like blood. An idea flashed through his mind and his heart lurched in response.

He could bring him back but at what cost? At the cost of physical intimacy. But it would be worth it, right? Sebastian would still be Sebastian. They just wouldn’t be able to touch skin.

“I could- y’know-” Joseph stammered. “I-if you want.” He could see Sebastian mulling it over, could see the gears turning in his head as he weighed up his options. Finally he looked up at him and smiled, his fingers clumsily along Joseph’s cheek.

“Anything, for a lifetime with you.”

* * *

 

He told Kidman that it was a terrible skin disease, that any contact would cause Joseph to break out in hives and rashes and pustules and need hospitalisation so they had to settle for gloves and glad-wrap.

She gave him a pitying smile and a sigh, before shrugging and saying if they were happy then that was all that mattered.

It was.

Joseph stood on tip-toe, holding the cling-film taut between them. Sebastian pressed their lips together and sure the kiss didn’t taste the same, sure they couldn’t hold hands bare or sleep together, but the love remained unchanged.

And in the end that was sweeter than any pie. 


End file.
